US court orders Trump administration to restart Green Card lottery by November

A federal court has ordered the Trump administration to restart the diversity visa lottery programme for 2027, setting a November 1 deadline for reopening the application process. The DV-2027 lottery, also known as the Green Card lottery, had faced delays in its implementation, prompting the judicial intervention.

The diversity visa programme aims to provide immigration opportunities to nationals from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States. Each year, approximately 50,000 diversity visa slots are made available through a random lottery system to eligible applicants worldwide.

For Indian nationals, eligibility for the diversity visa programme remains restricted. Typically, applicants born in India are ineligible for the DV lottery due to per-country limitations and numerical restrictions embedded in US immigration law. These restrictions apply to countries, including India, that already account for significant portions of US immigration flows.

The court's order underscores ongoing tensions regarding immigration policy implementation during the current US administration. The ruling ensures that the programme, which has drawn millions of applicants globally seeking alternative pathways to US permanent residence, will proceed with the revised timeline. The November deadline allows the Trump administration sufficient time to prepare the reopened lottery system while maintaining court-ordered compliance.